Independent panel releases report on ending military sexual assault
Protect Our Defenders Advisory Board Member BriGette McCoy and Advocacy Committee Member Brian Lewis are featured in this story from Al Jazeera America:
During Al Jazeera America’s regular Sunday evening segment “The Week Ahead,” Thomas Drayton discussed the subject with Brian Lewis, a policy adviser at Protect Our Defenders, and Brigette McCoy, founder of Women’s Veterans for Social Justice, both survivors of sexual assault during their time in the service.
According to McCoy, some people are more confident in stepping forward, but many still feel limited in what they can say.
Lewis agreed and said that when he tried to take his case to authorities in 2000, he was told not to report it or he would face consequences. When he went ahead with the report, he was diagnosed with personality disorder and removed from service. He said a similar situation ensued when an airman tried to report a case last year.
“What that tells me is that nothing has changed in the last decade,” he said. “I know nothing has changed in the last 30 to 50 years.”
